Our Advisors

Dr Muneendra Kumar earned his B.Sc., and M.Sc., degrees with three gold medals from Agra University, India. He got his M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in geodetic sciences from The Ohio State University, USA. He is Fellow of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and U.S. Marine Technology Society (MTS).

Dr. Kumar occupied the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Research Chair for Geodesy at the U.S. Naval University. He has been Special Geodesy Consultant to 100+ countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Pacific Ocean, and East Europe and Geodesy Advisor to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

He taught mathematics at Agra University and served in Survey of India and Directorate of Military Survey, India. He taught Applied Geodesy at George Washington University and geodesy at Virginia Tech. He served 5 years with U.S. National Geodetic Survey and 23 years with National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, retiring as Chief Geodesist.

Dr. Kumar has chaired IAG Special Commission on Marine Positioning and Special Study Group on seafloor positioning. He was President of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping Marine Survey Committee. He chaired the MTS Marine Geodesy Committee for 16 years and is the Founding Director of International Symposia on Marine Positioning (INSMAP).

Dr. Kumar has to his credit the pioneering “Double Pyramid” survey technique to position benchmarks on the ocean bottom. He has researched the revolutionary no-projection and distortion free KMap System for topographic maps and nautical/aeronautical charts and time-invariant bathymetry. He has researched and initiated an ellipsoidal revolution. He has also developed a new technique for tsunami warning system.

Dr. Kumar has numerous presentations, publications, technical workshops and seminars to his credit. He participated in defining the World Geodetic System (WGS) 1984, developed its implementation plan, and researched for its accuracy enhancement. He is known as Dr. or Senor “WGS84”. He has contributed on the development of geodetic standards for the UN/FAO, IHO, NATO, ICAO, and PAIGH.

After a 50-year of scientific and professional career, Dr. Kumar retired on 2 January 2004. He is still actively consulting and developing new geodetic concepts and solutions.

Dr Naser El-Sheimy is Professor at Department of Geomatics Engineering, at the University of Calgary. He holds a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Mobile Multi-sensor Systems and the scientific director of Tecterra Research Centre. His research expertise includes GPS/INS integration, multi-sensor systems, and mobile mapping systems. Prior to joining the University of Calgary, Dr. El-Sheimy held the position of VP R&D with VISAT Technologies Inc., a high-tech company in Montreal.

Dr. El-Sheimy published a book and over 350 papers in academic journals, conference and workshop proceedings, in which he has received over 20 national and international paper awards. He organized and participated in organizing many national and international conferences. Dr. El-Sheimy is the president of Commission I on “Sensors and Platforms” of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS).

Prof Dr George Cho AM is Professor of Geographic Information Systems and the Law, University of Canberra. Dr Cho has an Honours Degree in Arts from the University of Malaya, a Masters Degree from the University of British Columbia and a PhD from the Australian National University (ANU). As well he also holds a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from University of Canberra and an LLB from the ANU and is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the ACT and NSW and the High Court of Australia.

Prof Cho has published numerous books and journal articles on law and geography topics, including Geographic Information Science: Managing the Legal Issues (London: John Wiley & Sons, 2005); Cyber Law: Australia. International Encyclopaedia of Laws (with E Clark and A Hoyle), The Hague: Kluwer Law International 2004; E-Business Law and Management for the 21st Century (with E Clark and A Hoyle), Canberra: Info-Sys Law International Publications 2001; Marketers and the Law (with E Clark and A Hoyle), Sydney: Law Book Coy. Information Services 2000); Y2K: Avoiding the Legal Byte. A Guide for Managers and Legal Assessors (with E Clark and A Hoyle), Sydney: Prospect Publications 1999; Geographic Information Systems and the Law, London: John Wiley & Sons, 1998

Dr Abbas Rajabifard is Director of the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Geomatics at the University of Melbourne. He has published broadly on SDI, GIS and spatial data management.

In recent years he has focused more on the design and development of SDIs in different jurisdictions. He provide academic and research leadership in the Centre for SDIs and Land Administration; coordinate research activities of the PCGIAP-Working Group 3 (Cadastre) benchmarking worldwide cadastral systems and marine SDI and marine administration. His current research and interest are planning, management and implementation of SDIs, SDI and concepts of virtual jurisdictions, developing SDI as an enabling platform and SDI capacity building. Currently, he is also the President of Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI).

He has been working during the past 28 years for the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics – IBGE. He currently holds the position of Director of Geosciences. He also holds the position of Associate Professor at the Cartographic Engineering Department of the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. He is President of the Permanent Committee for Geospatial Data Infrastructure of the Americas – CP-IDEA, member of the Open Geospatial Consortium Global Advisory Council, and Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Cartography, in Brazil. Dr. Fortes has more than 50 papers published in journals, magazines and proceedings in Brazil and abroad.

John Hannah completed his BSc (Surveying) in 1970 at the University of Otago, and then a Postgraduate Diploma of Science in 1971. He became a Registered Surveyor in 1974. In 1976 he began study at The Ohio State University, completing an MSc in 1978 and a PhD in 1982. From 1982 until 1988 he was Geodetic Scientist, and then subsequently, Chief Geodesist/Chief Research Officer with the Department of Lands and Survey, New Zealand.

After a 17 month appointment to the Chair in Mapping, Charting and Geodesy at the US Naval Postgraduate School, California in 1989-1990, he returned to New Zealand as Director of Geodesy and subsequently Director of Photogrammetry for the Dept. of Survey and Land Information. In 1993 he joined the School of Surveying, as Professor and Head of Department, becoming its Dean in 2001. He relinquished this administrative role at the end of 2004. He was President of the NZ Institute of Surveyors from 2005-2007.

Dr Madhav N Kulkarni (19 February 1956 – 5 May 2007) was Professor of Geodesy & Remote Sensing at IIT Bombay. He joined the faculty of the Geodesy and Remote Sensing Division of the department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, in June 1999, after taking voluntary retirement from Army Engineers, as Lt Colonel. An Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur,

Dr Kulkarni was commissioned in Corps of Engineers in 1977 and served in Survey of India, a Department under DST, for 20 years on deputation from the Army. He carried out and supervised extensive Geodetic survey operations from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari for diverse applications.

He did his Masters and PhD in Space Geodesy at The Ohio State University, USA, in a NASA-funded project, on a study leave, and received two international awards. His areas of specialization included Space Geodesy, Satellite-based Surveying & Mapping techniques, Earthquake Studies using Geodetic Techniques, and Global Positioning System (GPS). Dr Kulkarni was also an Adjunct Professor at the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai, and was a member of several National committees, including the National GPS Expert Group set up by DST. He had conducted several short courses on GPS and was involved in many GPS related research projects. He had over 50 technical publications to his credit. He had been the advisor of Coordinates magazine from 2005 to 2007.